A rare public rupture has emerged between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Triggered by a dramatic escalation over Yemen in late December 2025, the dispute has exposed deeper ideological and strategic differences between the two Gulf powers.
In this episode, Thomas and Aimen step back from the battlefield to examine the historical roots of Saudi–Emirati rivalry and why Yemen became the arena where these differences finally collided in public.
They discuss:
- The 30 December 2025 Saudi airstrikes and the ultimatum to UAE forces
- Why Yemen is the arena, not the cause, of the Saudi–UAE dispute
- Continental vs maritime power in the Arabian Peninsula
- The British influence on the Emirati state
- The Buraimi Oasis dispute
- Tribal allegiance and ‘weird borders’ in Gulf geopolitics
- Why the UAE tolerates breakaway regions and Saudi Arabia cannot
- Whether this rupture will be patched up and what happens if it isn’t
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Conflicted is a Message Heard production.
Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.
Produced by Thomas Small and edited by Alan Leer.
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